Friday, July 20, 2007
Lessons from F.G. David
- Dr. F.G. David
Not so long ago, I made clear with myself my ultimate goal in life: to touch lives and inspire others. I was living a pretty normal life then, with no other thoughts but going to med school, saving lives, healing hearts. After a short while, I was living the most messed up life, struggling to get higher grades, having problems of the heart, then losing myself in the process. I lost my unusual perkiness, a bit of immaturity, the infallible drive to succeed. I no longer looked forward to tomorrows. I just got by. Day by day.
The gloom and pessimism haven't really faded yet, but attending the Psych department's tribute to Dr. David made me realize a lot of things. Like what I said (in my entry about his death), I may not have been lucky enough to be part of his class but he has greatly affected me nonetheless. What's sad, however, is that hearing loads of great stories about him heightened the excitement of being his student--only to find out that time would never come.
On Death. Seeing how many people were actually mourning for him made me think forward. Would there be as much people? Would people I haven't really met waste their time listening to stories about me?
When I die, I want to be ready for it. There are so many lives to touch, so many people who have so much in them but are just in need of inspiration. I don't mind dying anytime as long as I have at least practiced the art of being of service to others. I want to die knowing I have lived a life shared with others and for others.
On Living. Dr. David wasn't only known for being one of the greatest in Psych. He was known for his kind heart, a heart that always reached out. He may not have believed in God but he radiated God, which is really ironic.
These stories about him reminded me of my "Be a blessing to others" mantra, which I have actually forgotten about for some time. (I've recently been through this phase where I might have unconsciously assumed everything revolved around "me.") I miss the old idealistic girl who may have been foolishly childish but who also knew greatly of compassion. Maybe I'm still a bit frozen, but believe me, hearing about those stories warmed me up.
F.G. David will be remembered not just because of his excellence in the academic field. His anecdotes may have been simple slips off his brilliant mind, but these quotable quotes of him are worth reading and sharing to the rest of the world.
I may not have been fortunate enough to hear his everyday words of wisdom live, but I still will live by them. They aren't as complicated as the subject he used to teach anyway.
Thank you for hitting me hard on the head, Dr. David. Thank you for reminding me of the important things I forgot about, and for bringing me back towards the path of healing and inspiration.
Quote from Abby
More F.G. David quotes here
